Fishing-rod.



No. 796,948. PATENTED AUG. 8, 1,905.

' J.v B. TUTTLB.

FISHING ROD.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT; 19. 1904.

Witnesses: a Inventor,

Httomegs.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JONATHAN B. TUTTLE, OF CLAREMO'NT, CALIFORNIA.

FISHING-ROD.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JONATHAN B. TUTTLE, a citizen of the United States,residingat Claremont, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented-a newand useful Fishing-Rod, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to fishing-rods.

The object of the invention is in a simple, ready, certain, andthoroughly practical manner to effect setting of the hook in a fishsmouth when the bait on the hook is disturbed or to snag a fish should ittake the bait when placed above the hook.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination of :parts of a hook-setting attachment forfishing-rods, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts,there are illustrated six forms of embodiment of the invention, eachcapable of carrying the same into practical operation, it beingunderstood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changedas to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a fishing-rod withone form of the hook-setting device combined therewith. Fig. 2 is a viewin plan of a portion of a fishingrod, showing a modified form of theinvention combined therewith. Figs. 3 and 4 are detached detail views inplan and in elevation,

} respectively, of another form of the invention. Fig. 5 is a detacheddetail view in plan of still another form of the invention. Fig. 6 is aview in elevation of a portion of a fishing-rod with which is combined astill further modified form of the invention. Fig. 7 is a view similarto Fig. 6, exhibiting still another modified form of the invention. Fig.8 is a detached detail view of a part of the setting mechanism.

Referring to drawings and to Fig. 1 thereof, 1 designates a fishing-rod,which may be of the usual or any preferred construction, 2 the line, and3 a reel. (Indicated by dotted lines and shown disposed at one side ofthe rod.) The hook-setting device, which con- Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed $eptember 19, 1904. Serial No. 225.014.

Patented Aug.8, 1905.

stitutes the-gist of the present invention, comprises an arm orhook-setting member 4, which is made of spring-wireand is provided atits free or outer end with a line-guide 5, which in this instance isformed by bending the wire of the member to form an eye. While thismanner of constructing the eye will generally be preferred on account ofits simplicity and cheapness, it is to be understood that the inventionis not to be limited thereto, as the guide may be a separate element andcombined with the member in any practical manner. At a pointintermediate of the ends of the setting member the wire is formed into aseries of coils 6, (more clearly shown in Fig. 2,) the direction of theturns of the whirls being such as to cause'the setting member normallyto be flexed away from the rod and to maintain a position substantiallythe same as those shown in Figs. 1, 4, 6, and 7 The length of wire 7,projecting beyond the coils 6 and which constitutes-an attaching member,is in part secured to the handle of the rod in this instance byproviding its terminal with a prong 8, which may be driven through thehandle and have its projecting end clenched or upset to hold itpositively combined with the rod, the attachment being furtherstrengthened by a staple 9, located adjacent to the coils 6.

To render the device operable, it is necessary that the setting memberwhen flexed should be held in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig.1, and to effect this result there is a suitable setting or lockingmechanism provided which is mounted upon the rod 0on venient to the handof the angler and consisting of a dog 10, carried by the setting member,and a sear 11, carried by the rod. The dog is provided with a tooth 12to engage a notch 13 on the sear, thus to hold the setting member inoperative position. The sear is pivotally mounted upon a collar 14 andhas a forwardly-projecting portion constituting a counterweight whichoperates when draft is applied to the lineto cause the setting member tobe moved-toward the rod, thus to effect automatic release of the searfrom the dog and permit the setting member to spring to the positionshown in Fig. 1. The counterweight subserves a further function ofholding the sear in locked engagement with the dog when the hook iswithdrawn from the water either for the purpose of rebaiting or forrecasting, as under ordinary circumstances when the angler is notfishing on the bottom the weight of the sinker would be sufficienttocause release of the sear, and, further, in the act of casting the sameresult would ensue. To prevent this under either of the aboveconditions, the angler merely slips his thumb or finger under thecounterweight and holds the sear in engagement with the dog. The scarmay be constructed without a counterweight in case it is not desired toeffect automatic release of the sear from the dog, in which case therelease would be effected by pressure on the sear by the thumb or fingeror by any other means.

In order to vary the sensitiveness of the setting means, thus toincrease or diminish the strain necessary to release it, both the dogand the sear are mounted for longitudinal adjustment upon the memberswith which they coact and are held in their adjusted positions byset-screws or bolts 15 and 16, respectively. Ordinarily thecounterweight will be sufficient to cause the sear to release the dogwhen the bait is taken; but under some conditions it may be desired toassist the counterweight in its action, and to effect this a weak coiledspring 17 is employed, as shown in Fig. 8, one end of which isoperatively connected to the terminal of the counterweight and the otherend to a collar 18, mounted upon the rod. \Nhile for the reason statedit will generally be advantageous to have the dog and sear mounted foradjustment, it is to be understood that, if preferred, these parts mayhave a fixed relation with the setting member and the rod, respectively,and still be within the scope of the invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, the attaching member 7 is disposed on the upper sideof the rod, and this arrangement necessitates the positioning of thereel 3 on one side of the rod; but should it be preferred to positionthe reel upon the upper side of the red, as shown in Fig. 2, the rearportion of the setting member 19 may be bent laterally to throw thecoils 20 to one side of its forward portion, and the attaching member 21will be secured to the side of the rod.

Under some conditions it may be desired to dispense with the coils 6 and20, and this may be secured, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, by transverselyflattening the setting member adjacent to the attaching member, as shownat 22, or, as shown in Fig. 5, a spring-section 23 may be brazed orotherwise secured to the opposite terminals of the setting and attachingmembers. These two last-described arrangements will be found thoroughlyeffective for the purposes designed and will result in the presentationof a neat and inexpensive attachment. If preferred, both the coils andflattened spring-sections may be dispensed with, and the attachment 2Amay be made of a length of spring-wire which is flexed to give it thedesired spring action, as shown in Fig. 6. a

While the manner of securing the attaching member to the handle, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2that is to say, by the employment of prongs 8 andstaples 9will be found thoroughly efiective for the purposes designed,it might under some conditions be found objectionable, forthe reasonthat such manner of attachment is permanent and will not, therefore,permit any shifting of the attachment upon the rod. To obviate thisobjection, the attachment may be held in position by split collars 25,as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5,which are secured to the attaching membersby being brazed or riveted thereto, thumb-screws or bolts 26 beingprovided to clamp the collars at any desired point of adjustment on therod. Of course it will be understood that the collars may not be split,as they may be made continuous and be held at any desired adjustment byascrew or nail passed through them and into the rod. Instead of havingthe collars secured to the attachment, as shown in the figures abovereferred to, they may 0perate to clamp the attaching member to the rod,as shown at 27 in Fig. 7. A still further manner of securing theattachment in position is shown in Fig. 6, wherein the terminal of theattaching member 28 is provided with a prong 29,which is seated in therod, a collar 30 being employed to clamp the attaching member adjacentto its bend to the rod.

It will be seen from the foregoing illustrations and description thatthe invention may be carried into effect in various ways, those hereinshown beinga few of many that may be employed in securing the objectssought. It is therefore to be understood that the invention is not to belimited to the precise forms herein shown, as its scope is sufficient toembrace other devices for carrying it into effect.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by 1 Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the class described comprising a normally flexedhook-setting member, and manually-controlled means to hold the member inunflexed position-.

2. A device of the class described comprising a normally flexedhook-setting member, and manually-controlled means to hold the member inunflexed position and to effect its automatic release when strain isapplied to the member.

3. A device of the class described compris ing an attaching member, ahook-setting member including a line-guide, manually con-' trolled meansto lock the setting member in operative position.

4:. A device of the class described comprising an attaching member andmeans to combine the same with a rod, a hook-setting mem-' ber includinga line-guide, and manually-con trolled means to set the latter member.

5. The combination with a rod of a hooksetting attachment comprising anormally flexed member including a line-guide, a dog carried by themember, and a scar carried by the rod to engage the dog and operable bythe hand of the angler.

6. The combination with a rod of a normally flexed hook-settingattachment including a line-guide, a dog adjustably mounted on themember, and a sear adjustably mounted on the rod to engage the dog tohold the attachment in operative position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflEiXedmy signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

JONATHAN B. TUTTLE.

Witnesses:

RoA EVANS, G. A. STURTEVANT.

